• Question: Do you believe it is ethically right to use placebos for stem cell research?

    Asked by cslayer11 to Alex, Jools, Lynz, Matt, Rika on 15 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Matthew Dickinson

      Matthew Dickinson answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      This is not really my field so my answer will not be as strong as some, but here goes. I think that the use of placebos for the stem cell research is a risk and if there is minimum damage that could happen then fine do it. However in the change of changing some one’s life for the worse then this should not be used.

    • Photo: Alex Davenport

      Alex Davenport answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      In research we mainly want to find out if our current drug performs better than our existing treatment. So if we were to use a stem cell therapy against a placebo when another, already used, conventional therapy would be a better comparison, then no I feel it is not ethical. However, Stem cell therapy in it self, I don’t have an issue with. A lot of media attention has been put on the use of Stem cells, and more specifically Embryonic stem cells.
      The words “stem cell” cover a range of different cells that are able to become any other cell, and it is mostly in relation to haematopoietic stem cells. That is, cells that have the potential to become any other type of blood cell. These are found in the bone marrow of all humans and are used in research all the time.
      As for Embryonic stem cells: The use of embryos within research will potentially always be controversial. I however do not have an issue with Embryonic stem cell research either and it is vital that scientists and science communicators stress the impotance of eStem cell research to the public. Recently America filed a law suit which stopped public funding for embryonic stem cell research in maryland, this has the potential to stop all research within america using public funds, and highlights the importance of communicating science, the need for research and continued debate. Especially within Stem Cell research.

      Good Question 🙂

    • Photo: Julie Greensmith

      Julie Greensmith answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      Do you mean placebos or do you mean placentas as in the stuff a baby grows in? I think you might mean the stuff related to babies!! If so as Alex said the use of developing baby cells will always be a dodgy issue. I think that I might feel differently if I got a cancer or someone in my family did and I knew that this research would help. If we could be sure that it did not interfere with the development of the baby then it would be ok, otherwise its probably not right! Excellent question tho!

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